Cloth-cutting machine



July 31, 1928. 1,678,989

H. MAIMIN CLOTH CUTTING MACHINE Filed July 25, 1925 4 v L l a4 ATTORNEYSPatented July 31, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HYMAN MAIMIN, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO I-I. MAIMIN COMPANY "INCOBPORATED, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CLOTH-CUTTING MACHINE.

Application filed July 23, 1925.

This invention relates to cloth cutting machines of the reciprocatingknife type and particularly to means for controlling the presser foot.

In cloth cutting machines of the reciprocating knife type it iscustomary toprovide a presser foot adjacent the knife which bears downupon the lay of cloth being cut and prevents upward movement of thecloth with the knife. This presser foot is usually supported upon avertical rod depending from the frame of the machine just in front 0fthe cutting edge of the knife, the presser foot and its supporting rodtherefor serving the additional function of a guard. As lays of varyingthicknesses are cut from time to `time andas the presser foot shouldalways lie upon the lay, it is necessary to provide means for verticallyadjusting .the position of the foot, This may be done simply by means ofaset-screw or by means of a cooperating pawlfand rack. But so far as Iam aware, in all the arrangements heretofore proposed or used the meansfor controlling the position of the presser foot have been located onthe yfront of the machine and it has been Vnecessary for the operator toreach around the machine to dis,-l engage the presser foot from theframe of the machine and move it manually up or down to make the desiredadjustment. Although the adjustment can7 of course, be made in thismanner it cannot be made without a certain inconvenience and loss oftime. It is the object of the present invention to provide means wherebythe downward movement of the presser foot can be quickly and simplyeffected from the handle of the machine, so that in starting to cut anew lay with the presser foot raised above its operative position, theoperator can simply release the clamping means and permit the foot todrop freely by gravity upon t-he lay where it is automatically clampedin operative position.

In carrying out my invention I provide the presser foot with avertically slidable carriage designed to be moved vertically along atrackway on the frame of the machine. This carriage is provided with aspringpressed pawl designed to cooperate with a vertical rack carried bythe frame of the machine and long enough to engage the pawl in anydesired -position of adjustment. The

Serial No. 45,447.

pawl and rack cooperate to adjustably clamp the presser foot in elevatedposition, This much of the structure is old andwell-known and isdescribed in patent D. S. Maimin, No. 1,207,780, patented December 12,1916. Iny accordance with the present invention I mount the rack for aslight horizontal movement away from the pawl, this movement beingcontrolled by an arm extending adjacent the handle of the machine.v Theoperator, by means of this arm, moves the rack inward therebydisengaging the pawl, which is provided with means for preventingfurther inward movement, and permits the carriage and presser foot tofall by gravity. yAs soon as disengagement is effected and the foot hasdropped, theoperator releases the arm and the rack is automaticallyreturnedtoits initial position in time to receive the pawl in its lowerposition of adjustment.

In the accompanying-drawing I have illustrated a preferred embodiment ofmy invention. In these drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a clothcutting machine of the reciprocating knife type equipped with thepresser foot control mechanism of the present invention; Figure 2 is anenlarged v ertica'l section' through the 4presser foot carriage and theadjacent part of the machine frame, showing the relation between thepawl, the rack and the means for moving the rack; Figure 3 isatransversesection taken along line 3-3 of Figure l; Figure 4 is atransverse section taken along line 4-4 of Figure 2; and Figure 5 is anenlarged front elevation of the presser foot carriage.

The cloth cutting machine illustrated comprises a base l from whicharises a standard 2 supporting a motor housing 3, a motor 4: and ahandle 5. The standard 2 and the housing 3 constitute a support fortheother parts of the machine and will be referred to throughout thespecification and claims as the frame of the machine. The motor 4 isdesigned to reciprocate a. vertical knife 6 which extends through a slotin the standard 2 and kserves to cut the cloth in theusual way. Themechanism for reciprocating this knife lforms no part of the presentinvention and will not be described.

Mounted on the front `of the frame is a` vertical T-shaped trackway 7upon which slides a carriage 8 carrying the presser foot 9. r1`hepresser toot illustrated is oit the double separable type illustrated inPatent No. 1,207,780 supported by a pair of guard rods 10 pivotallymounted upon t-lie carriage and integral with a pair of meshing pinions11. The detailed structure `of the presser toot, however', forms no partot the present invention and will not be described here in detail. T hepresser toot is held in adjusted position by means oi' a pawl 12 mountedwithin a housing 13 on the carriage 8 and urged by means of a spring14rinto engagement with a vertical rack 15 held between two halves otthe l'-shaped traclrway i'. T he pawl 12 is provided on its inner endwith teeth 16 designed to engage similar teeth 17 on the rack and holdthe carriage and presser toot at any desired elevation. Disengagement ofthe pawl and rack may be effected through a pivoted arm 18 provided witha thumb-piece 19. By grasping the thumb-piece 19 and the housing 13between the thumb and linger, the pawl can be retracted. inward movementof the pawl is limited by a section 20 of the upper wall of the carriageS which serves as a stop for the arm 18. The foregoing construction doesnot dii'er materially from that illustrated and described-in Patent No.1,207,780 and by means of it the pres-ser toot can be moved either up ordown after disengagement ot the pawl in the manner described.

In accordance with the present invention the rack 15 instead ot' beingiixed on the trame is mounted thereon tor horizontal or transversemovement, this movement being controlled from the handle ot the machine.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the rack is provided with a series ofdiagonal slots 21 through which extend pins 22 fixed to the traekway 7and hence to the 'frame of the machine. The lower end of the raclr isprovided with a pair ot spaced jaws 23 which receive be-.

tween them the forward end of an arm 24 pivoted at 25 and extendingrearward toward the handle and terminating in a thumbpiece 2G. A spring27 fixed at one end to the frame of the machine and at the other to theforward end ot the arm 2a normally urges this end of the trame upwardand hence holds the rack in outward position and in engagement with thepawl 12. 1n order to release the pawl without reaching around themachine and moving the arm 18. it is only necessary tor the operator topush ui wardly on thumb-piece 26 of the arm 2li, thus moving the rackdownward, and, due to the shape of the slots 21, inward, disengaging theteeth 16 and 17 and permittingthev Carriage and the presser toot to fallby gravity. When pressure on the thumb-piece 26 is removed, the spring27 immediately re- Atui-ns the rack to its initial position in time toreengage the pawl in its lower position. To raise the presser toot theoperator grasps the thumb piece 19 and the housing 13 between thumb andiinger, retraets the pawl, and with the saine hand raises the carriage20 and the presser toot.

By means of the construction just described, it is necessary tor theoperator to employ the arm 18 to disengage the pawl only when thepresser foot is to be moved upward. llhen the presser toot is in raisedposition and the operator desires to resume cutting or to begin thecutting of a new lay, it is neces-sary only for him to operate the arm211 from the handle to disengage the rack and permit the pawl to tall bygravity into operative position. When this position is reached the pawlagain engages the rack so that upward movement is prevented.

l claim:

1. A cloth-cutting machine comprising the combination ot' a supportingframe, a vertically adjustable presser foot, a rack on the frame, a pawlmovable with the presser toot designed to engage the rack and hold thepresser foot in adjusted position, and means for moving the racktransversely to disengage the pawl and permit the presser foot to fallby gravity.

2. A clotli-cutting machine comprising the combination of a supportingiframe, a vertically adjustable presser :toot, a rack on the trame, apawl movable with the presser foot designed to engage the rack and holdthe presser foot in adjusted position, means for moving the pawl todisengage the rack, and means ior ino-ving the rack to disengage thepawl.

3. A cloth-cutting machine comprising the combination of a supportingframe, an operating handle, a vertically adjustable presser foot, a rackon the irame, a pawl movable with the presser toot designed to engagethe rack and hold the presser foot in adjusted position, means formoving the pawl to disengage the rack, and means operable from thehandle for moving` the rack to disengage the pawl.

1. A cloth-cutting machine comprising the combination of a supporting"frame, an operating handle, a vertically adjustable presser foot, arack on the frame, a diagonal slot in the rack, a pin on the trame ofthe machine passing through the slot, a pawl movable with the presser'foot designed to engage the rack and hold the presser 'toot in adjustedposition, a pivoted arin extending adjacent the handle for moving therack longitudinally wl ereby the slot cooperates with the pin to movethe rack laterally and out of engagement with the pawl.

5. A cloth-cutting machine comprising the combination ot a supportingtrame, an operating handle, a vertically adjustable presser toot, a rackon the Jiframe. a pawl movable with the presser foot designed to engagethe raclr and hold the presser foot in adjusted position, means formoving the paWl to dis engage the rack, means for moving the rack todisengage the pawl whereby the presser foot is free to drop by gravity,and means for returning' the rack into engagement With the pawl afterthe presser foot has dropped.

(3. A cloth-Cutting' machine Comprising` the combination of asupporting' frame, a vertieallv adjustable presser foot, a rack on thetrame, a spring-pressed pawl movable with the presser foot designed toengage the rack and hold the presser foot in adjusted position.7 meansfor moving` the rael inward from the paWl, and means limiting the inwardmovement of the pawl whereby v the movement ot' the rack disengages thepawl.

7. A cloth-cutting machine Comprising the combination of a supportingframe, a vertically adjustable presser foot slidably mounted thereon,elan'ipingg,l means movable With the presser foot, an elongated memberon the frame cooperatingI with the clamping means to hold the presserroot at the desired elevation, and means for moving the elongated memberout of engagement With the elampingmeans so that the presser foot maydrop by gravity.

In testimony whereof I al'iX my signature.

HYMAN MAIMIN.

